Ohio man charged with child endangering after son, 5, dies

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio -- Police say an Ohio man who told officers he used a plastic wand from window blinds as a switch on his 5-year-old son before the boy died has been charged with child endangering.

Authorities planned an autopsy Thursday on Michael Barton, of Bellefontaine. He died at a Columbus hospital Wednesday, two days after his father's girlfriend called 911 to report he wasn't breathing.

The Columbus Dispatch reports a prosecutor said the boy's father, 24-year-old Anthony Barton, told police he used the plastic rod to hit the child.

Bellefontaine Police Chief Brandon Standley told the newspaper he expected the autopsy would reveal more about how badly the boy was injured.

Barton remained in the Logan County jail Thursday.